"We have hope... rebellions are built on hope!"
- Jyn Erso
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a pinball adaptation of the 2016 film of the same name, as one of a multitude of Star Wars Zen Pinball tables available for Zen Pinball 2, Pinball FX 2 and Pinball FX 3. Originally released as a standalone table, the table was paired with Star Wars Rebels in Pinball FX 3 as part of the Unsung Heroes DLC pack. The table follows the titular squad's mission to find and steal the plans for the Galactic Empire's nearly completed superweapon, the Death Star (in the days leading up to Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope), so that the Rebel Alliance can find a way to destroy it.
Table overview[]
The upper half of the table[]
Note: This table has a dynamic area that constantly changes depending on the current mode, and the following section below will describe what it would look like when no modes are active.
The entire table is designed to resemble the Imperial security complex on the planet Scarif, where the plans for the Death Star are being kept. The back wall of the table features a dynamic background that changes depending on the current mission. At the back left corner of the table is a slow-rotating spindisk where a figure of Director Orson Krennic, commissioned by the Empire to oversee the completion of the Death Star, stands. This spindisk bears the emblem of the Galactic Empire, is marked with the word LOCK lit up on the wall behind the spindisk and can divert balls to a small, thin screw-like cage, topped with the helmet of a Death Trooper, an elite Imperial soldier, where balls can be locked for multiball.
To the left of this spindisk is a bumper area with 7 bumpers themed off of TIE fighters, which may slightly move every time the ball hits them. This is part of a dynamic area that changes when certain modes begin. A transparent bridge covers much of the bumper area but leaves out a slit towards the back for balls to drop down through to enter the bumper area, and there are five targets that spell ROGUE right behind the slit that balls may hit before dropping down. There is a gap in front of the bumper area and the transparent platform directly covering it that drops balls that pass through the bumper area into a giant sinkhole in much of the upper half of the table. It is nearly shaped into a semicircle, with the circular edge being formed by the termini of two curving side lanes wrapping around the entries of the table's four ramps, which both converge towards this sinkhole. However, a strong shot through either lane may allow the ball to jump from the end of one lane to the other and go down the other, making these two lanes form a pseudo-orbit, but it usually does not work as one due to its non-circular shape and the strength needed to bypass the sinkhole gap. A toy model of a U-Wing, a special Rebel starfighter that can deploy ground troops, is placed above the table's major right lanes in the back right corner. Its wings can expand if the ball travels on top of a special transparent ramp that also serves as a tunnel for part of the curving, right lane and pushes a varitarget flap before traveling down the right curve lane or bouncing into the dynamic play area.
Right in front of the giant sinkhole, particularly at its edge where the two curving side lanes end to drop the ball into it, there is a wide ramp that balls can fly off of to jump the sinkhole gap and hit the ROGUE targets at the very back and drop to the bumper area. Each side of this wide ramp contains a short crossramp that is best accessed with a crossshot from an opposite mini-flipper further down the table and leads the ball to a large horseshoe-shaped habitrail that takes up much of the bottom area of the table, which will eventually take the ball to the flippers. There is also a slit directly in front of the wide jump ramp that may allow a barricade or a sideways moving drop target to pop up, depending on the mode. To the right of the left curving lane is a hairpin ramp that spells JYN and will take the ball to the same horseshoe-shaped habitrail and a sinkhole that the ball will exit out of if it falls into the giant sinkhole, which is also right next to the wide center jump ramp. Between the wide jump ramp and the right curving lane is another longer ramp that also spells JYN, but goes all the way further to the back right corner of the table, right under the U-wing model, before making a sharp hairpin turn back down to the horseshoe-shaped habitrail. There is also a target marked with a sniper rifle icon right in between that ramp and the right crossramp. To the right of the right curving lane is a right mini-flipper used to make cross shots into the abovementioned left crossline, and this particular flipper is a zipper flipper that blocks an alternate plunger exit and can slide directly under the plunger shaft's main straight exit to unblock the other exit and catch the ball as it stops at the skillshot target near the main exit and drops back down.
The lower half of the table[]
At the tip of the right flipper is a target that can be hit to earn magna-saves. On the other side of the table is a left mini-flipper that's a little more in front of the right mini-flipper counterpart and it is conversely used to make cross-shots into the right crossramp. The word JACKPOT appears in the space between both mini-flippers.
There are four return lanes, with two on each side. Each inlane has a lamp for one of Jyn's truncheons, her personal melee weapons, but their rollovers can't be triggered by balls exiting from the abovementioned large horseshoe-shaped habitrail. There are also two rebounds and two flippers and at the bottom of the table is a manually-operated magna-save system used to save balls from being drained.
A figure of Jyn Erso, a rebel member of Rogue One who inspired the effort to steal the plans, stands on the right apron, right next to a pop-up panel of the controls used to transmit the Death Star plans to the Rebel fleet from the apex of the Imperial security complex's transmission tower near the end of the climatic battle of Scarif. The ends of the horseshoe-shaped habitrail network also have pop-out spikes that can hold balls near the habitrail exits for some time to allow animations to be played while the ball is safely locked behind one of the spikes.
The plunger[]
The plunger is a straight shaft whose normal exit is up the right curving lane, with an orange railspeeder car used in the Imperial security complex's tram system providing the force to launch the ball. However, if the ball is shot with precise force such that it stops to the edge of that exit for a skill shot, another exit will open up on the left side of the shaft as the ball drops back down the shaft via the right zipper mini-flipper sliding backwards over the shaft to catch the ball. If the player can use this flipper at this very instant to make a crossshot into the left crossramp, a super skill shot will also be awarded.
Objective and missions[]
The goal of the table is to help the titular squad find and retrieve the Death Star plans through ten missions, then transmit the plans in a wizard mode victory multiball. To start a mission, the player must spell ROGUE on the 5 targets at the back of the table. A hit to an unlit target will collect 1 letter, while a hit to the flashing target that moves with the flippers will collect 3 letters (the ones to the left and right of the flashing target). Once ROGUE is fully spelled, the next time the ball falls into the bumper area and down into the giant sinkhole, a mission will begin. Missions have to be played in order and must be completed successfully to advance, although the player can choose to replay previously completed missions for additional points and to further increase the Transmitting jackpot value.
During missions, lit shots score 100,000 points, multiplied by however many seconds are currently on the timer. This means that missions with long timers, like Sneaking into the Base or The Battle of Scarif, score more than missions with shorter timers - but are a lot more difficult to complete.
Death Troopers Multiball can be activated during all single-ball missions if the required lock shots are made. Once all three balls are locked, the timer for the currently active mission will freeze, potentially making it easier to complete.
The following 10 missions must be completed in order to reach the wizard mode:
Chapter 1: Wobani
- Rescued?: The Rebels send a strike team to the planet Wobani to find and bust Jyn out of Imperial imprisonment. In this mission, the player takes Jyn's perspective as she fights the Rebels trying to extract her by knocking down a moving standup target of a Rebel soldier 3 times while the entire dynamic area exposes almost all of the giant sinkhole. Each solider must be fought one at a time and requires 3 hits to defeat. The target will appear at a random position and will move after the first hit. After the second hit, it will move from side to side, making it a little more difficult to deliver the final blow. The player only has 30 seconds to knock out each soldier, and the mission fails if Jyn can't hit the rebel within that timeframe.
- After the soldiers are defeated, reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO will subdue her and tell her that she's being rescued. A platform will then rise from the giant sinkhole featuring a 3-blade Y-shaped spinner with a model of K-2SO's head right on top of the spindle, and an optional bonus round will begin where the player can spin the spinner as many times as possible in one direction to spell K-2SO for bonus points. In order to finish the mission, the player must keep the ball in play until the bonus round is over.
Chapter 2: Jedha
- Evading the Patrols: The Rebels travel to the desert moon of Jedha to find and meet Rebel fighter Saw Gerrera; however, the Imperial presence in the city is very heavy. The player helps the Rebels sneak past the patrolling stormtroopers by shooting any of several lit lanes 4 times within a 45 second time limit, with several seconds added back when a lit lane is shot. The lit lanes alternate between all shots, then only right side shots, then all shots again, then only left side shots. The dynamic play area in this mission consists of a platform with a figure of a Stormtrooper that will shoot at Jyn if a wrong lane is shot.
- The Spirit of Chirrut: The rebels are suddenly surrounded by Imperial forces, but are quickly rescued by the warrior Chirrut Imre, a blind Guardian of the Whills who relies on the Force to compensate for his loss of sight. The goal of this mission is to help Chirrut deliver a powerful stick swing to knock down a figure of a Stormtrooper standing in the dynamic play area, and the player does this by hitting a flat cardboard cutout of Chirrut with enough force and from the right angle to knock down the stormtrooper and complete the mission. However, in the back of the rotating area is a target bank that spells the word MISSED; if all 6 of these targets are hit from missed shots, or if the 60 second time limit runs out, the mission will end in failure.
- Saw Gerrera: The rebels close in on contacting Saw Gerrera and must take out one last line of Stormtroopers along the way. The goal of this mission is to quickly shoot the right ramp within 3 seconds to help Jyn deliver a knockout blow to the troopers, but if the player takes too long, she will have to hide, which is done by shooting the sinkhole three times within 30 seconds. After a successful shot to the right ramp, the ball will stop near the exit of the ramp as Jyn's figure will knock down a Stormtrooper standing at the jump ramp.
- After defeating the Stormtrooper, the ball is released to the right flipper and the player must get both Jyn and Saw to safety by shooting the sinkhole one last time within a 30 second time limit. While the sinkhole is lit, the player can score extra points by defeating Stormtroopers on the dynamic play area with shots up the middle.
- Escape from Jedha: Jyn and the rebels must escape the Death Star's impending destruction of Jedha by getting on board a U-Wing to avoid being buried alive. To help the rebels escape, the player must shoot both crossramps within 45 seconds. Once the second crossramp is hit, the ball will be magetized inside the toy model of the U-Wing, which will fly out of the playfield just as the Death Star fires its deadly blast at Jedha.
Chapter 3: Eadu
- Sneaking into the Base: Rogue One's next mission involves infiltrating an Imperial base on Eadu; however, the mountainous terrain makes it difficult to sneak in. To help Rogue One sneak around the troopers, the player must make a precise shot to the left side of the dynamic play area, which contains a circular rear wall, a swinging gate arm that sweeps the free circular area in front of that wall, a sinkhole to the right of that free area and a figure of a Stormtrooper standing near it. The shot must push the swinging gate arm clockwise such that the ball will roll to the sinkhole at the right without touching the Stormtrooper; a well timed upwards nudge can help with making the sinkhole. Three shots to the sinkhole must be made in 90 seconds to complete the mission, but if the player accidentally hits the Stormtrooper figure or hits other major shots enough times, the rebels' cover is blown and they will need to hide from the troopers quickly by shooting either orbit entrance.
- Almost Caught: Before Rogue One can get to Galen Erso, they are spotted and pinned down under fire by a detachment of stormtroopers that must be defeated. In this mission, the dynamic area contains four rocks at its corners and a Stormtrooper figure moving within the rocks that must be hit with the ball to be defeated. However, the trooper will spend 7 seconds in one of three positions among the rocks, and if the player can't hit the trooper figure after he spends time in all 3 positions, the mission will fail. Four troopers must be defeated, each with one hit, and once all of them are down, the player gets the rebels to safety in a stolen Imperial cargo shuttle by shooting a moving standup target of the shuttle 3 times within 30 seconds.
Chapter 4: Scarif
- The Battle of Scarif: Rogue One stages a ground assault outside the Scarif Imperial complex's citadel tower, but are nearly overwhelmed by the towering AT-ACTs. The player must help the Rogue One ground forces evade these massive walkers by spelling ROGUE on the rear target bank at the back of the table within 60 seconds, but the ball must pass through the dynamic play area containing a model of a moving AT-ACT walking in place on the sandy grounds of Scarif, with its long legs blocking the way. The player can rotate the model to make it easier to hit targets off to the side by shooting lit lanes (either orbit or the scoop), and the timer resets for each letter of ROGUE lit.
- The Shield is Open: The Empire restricts access to the planet Scarif with a massive planetary shield gate. With the Rebel fleet approaching the planet to send in more air support for the Rebels on the ground, Imperial forces work to close the shield gate, previously opened for Rogue One's stolen Imperial cargo shuttle, before too many Rebel starfighters slip past. The player must get six starfighters past the gate so that they can aid Rebel forces on Scarif in a 2-ball multiball mission. In this mission, the dynamic play area will contain a replica of the shield gate over Scarif that is currently closed. To open it, the player must lock one ball into either of the termini of the horseshoe-shaped habitrail through one shot up either of the two truncheon ramps, then within 10 seconds, shoot the other ball into the opened shield gate in the dynamic play area to get a fighter through. The mission is finished after six fighters pass through the gate.
- The Fall of Krennic: After a perilous effort to finally seize the Death Star plans at the cost of K-2SO's life, Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor climb up the complex's citadel tower to get to its antenna transmission platform, but are chased by Director Krennic, who eventually confronts Jyn up front personally at the tower's apex before she can have a chance to beam the plans to the Rebel fleet. The player must help Cassian Andor sneak up on Krennic after recovering from a fall and shoot him down as he intimidates Jyn within a time limit by hitting the figure of Krennic, who walks over to the normal dynamic play area to become the target, with the ball a total of five times, but must be mindful of barriers that pop up on the drop target track that will make it difficult to land a shot. After every hit, the barriers will move faster, making it even harder to hit him. After five hits, Krennic will fall over into the giant sinkhole and Jyn will be free to transmit the plans.
Once all 10 missions are completed successfully, the wizard mode, Transmitting, will begin immediately, in which Jyn Erso will transmit the Death Star plans to the Rebellion so that they will have a chance to study and destroy it before it's too late. This is a 4-ball victory multiball where lit lanes can be shot to earn jackpots, and a shot to the spin disk will collect a super jackpot worth the highest total score from all the missions. While the ball saver is on, there will be an animation of Jyn's figure accessing a transmitter on the right apron and using it to beam the plans to the Rebellion.
Side Modes[]
The following side modes can be activated:
- AT-ACT Hurry-Up: AT-ACTs possess deadly firepower against Rebel insurgents that dare stand in its way. If the player shoots all 4 ramps when no modes are running, each collecting one of the four legs of the walker, a side mode will begin where the player must evade the AT-ACT by hitting one of the lit ROGUE targets while maneuvering the ball past a walking toy model of the AT-ACT on the dynamic play area before the hurry-up value expires; the sooner the target is hit to finish the mode, the more points will be awarded. The base value of the hurry-up starts at 2 million, but each shot to an already lit ramp before starting the hurry-up increases the base value by 100,000 points.
- Close Combat: Jyn Erso has been trained to fight enemies up close as a freshly trained and hardened Rebel fighter. If the player spells JYN when no modes are running, with letters being added every time the player drops the ball through one inlane and then shoots the ramp on the other side immediately, the ball will stop on the third ramp shot as an animation plays of Jyn's figure walking to the center of the table to fight a stormtrooper standing on the dynamic play area. The player must quickly shoot the ramp on the other side (if the ball goes to the left flipper, the player must shoot the right ramp, and vice versa) to strike down the stormtrooper and score a bonus of 1 million + 1 million each time the side mode has been completed on the current ball. (The dynamic play area will be blocked entirely during this mode.)
- Death Star Initial Tests: Grand Moff Tarkin orders Director Krennic to issue a low-power test of the Death Star's superlaser. If the player shoots the scoop 10 times when no modes are running, the dynamic play area will show a toy model of the Death Star. The player must lock the ball into the Death Star's superlaser dish within using the flippers to rotate it, then use the flippers and launch button to rotate the Death Star model vertically and horizontally so that the superlaser dish lines up with a blue holographic ring. Both parts of this quick mode last 10 seconds, and the value for completing each part is 1 million times the current amount of seconds remaining.
- Dogfight Video Mode: The Empire dispatches TIE strikers to attack the Rebels' U-Wing. When no modes are running, if the player makes enough strong shots to the varitarget with the upper left flipper to fully ready the U-Wing, video mode can be started at the sinkhole. The scoring display will show a first-person view of the U-Wing, and the player must turn the crosshair with the flippers while holding the launch button to fire at a TIE striker - preferably keeping the crosshair on the TIE striker at all times. There are three levels to the video mode, each more difficult than the last as the TIE striker becomes tougher to defeat, and scoring 1, 2, and 3 million points each. The base value for completing all three levels can increase by 1 million if the player makes strong shots to the varitarget while video mode is already lit. The first time all three levels are finished, extra ball will light at the scoop.
- Rifle Mayhem: Saw Gerrera teaches Jyn Erso to be a strong rebel fighter with deadly marksmanship. If the player hits the rifle standup target to the left of the right ramp a total of 8 times when no modes are running, a rifle part will be acquired. Obtaining two more with a total of 24 hits will start this side mode. The player helps Jyn snipe on Stormtroopers by hitting three helmets placed on the dynamic playfield with the ball within 30 seconds, each scoring 100,000 times the number of seconds remaining. Completing the side mode three times in a game will light an extra ball.
- Unexpected Ambush: If no modes are running and the player makes a total of three incomplete shots through either orbit entrance that fall into the giant sinkhole, a quick side mode will begin where the dynamic area will show a figure of a Stormtrooper ambushing the rebels that can be knocked down within 10 seconds with the ball. Defeating the Stormtrooper scores 100,000 times the number of seconds remaining.
Multiball[]
The following multiballs can be activated:
- Krennic's Wrath: If the player makes full shots through either orbit entrance, Krennic will become a little enraged. Fully enraging him with 10 orbit shots will make him shoot the ball, splitting it into three smaller balls for a quick 3-ball multiball. The player must lock all three balls back into the sinkhole, scoring 1 million points each with an additional 2 million for the final shot, to finish the mode. The number of times this mode has been started on the current ball determines both how many rounds must be completed to complete the mode (for instance, 1 for the first time it begins, 2 for the second time it begins and so on), and increases the value of each shot during the mode by 1 million points. (Note that if if only one shrunken ball remains and the ball drains, the ball will immediately end.)
- Death Troopers Multiball: The Death Troopers are an elite Imperial trooper force armed with plenty of weaponry and deadly aim. If the player hits Krennic to the right of the Imperial spindisk, it will then be possible to shoot him again to magnetically lock a ball into a screw-like cage near the spindisk. The ball can also be locked through a strong shot that happens to land into the cage for a “Fast Lock”. Once 3 balls are locked through either method, they will be released into play to the left flipper, and a figure of a Death Trooper will appear on the table, which can be hit and knocked out for a jackpot starting at 4 million and increasing by 100,000 points as other major shots are made. Hitting another Death Trooper that arrives in his place within the 10 seconds before he retreats will score a super jackpot worth double the jackpot value. In order to fight another Death Trooper, the player must raise the jackpot value to 1 million by shooting 10 lit lanes, or instantly max out the jackpot value by shooting into the cage behind the Imperial spindisk. Making enough cross-shots to fully push the varitarget flap will increase the jackpot multiplier by +1x, which resets when a jackpot is collected. The multiball ends once the player drains back to single-ball play.
Perks[]
The following perks can be acquired on this table:
- Ball Saver: A 15-second ball saver will be activated at the start of each ball and multiball mode. Once it expires, it is not possible to earn another ball saver for the rest of the current ball. (A free, very brief ball saver will be awarded when the player hits mandatory standup targets during certain missions.)
- Magna-Save: If the player hits the target in front of the upper right flipper twice, a magna-save will be granted that can be used to save the ball from draining from the outlanes. Up to 3 magna-save uses can be stacked at once, and carry over between balls until they are used.
- Bonus Multiplier: The bonus multiplier can be increased by hitting all seven bumpers in the dynamic play area. The bonus multiplier has a maximum of 250x after which extra score is given starting at 1M and increasing by 100K each time up to a maximum of 20M, and multiplier can be held for the next ball after enough bumper hits to start super jets. This score is not reset by draining a ball.
- Super Jets: If the multipliers have been held already, hitting the bumpers another 100 times will activate super jets for 10 million points, and the player can hit them a further 100 times for 10,000 points per bumper and another 10 million after 100 hits (the point value for starting and finishing Super Jets increases by 10 million every time it is started on the same ball). After 100 super jet bumper hits, or when the ball drains, the bumpers will return to normal. The next super jets activation on the same ball will be in 200 bumper hits, then 300, etc. ; 2400 bumper hits requirement for the 24th activation has been observed.
- Extra Balls: Extra balls can be lit at the scoop by achieving level 3 shooter skill by completing Rifle Mayhem three times, completing the AT-ACT Hurry-Up side mode three times with the same ball, completing the Close Combat side mode three times on the same ball, beating level 3 of the Dogfight Video Mode the first time, or fast locking a total of 5 balls for Death Troopers Multiball.
- End-of-ball bonus: Bonus is calculated by adding these subtotals, all multiplied by the bonus multiplier:
- Loop bonus (10,000 x number of orbit shots made this ball)
- Ramp bonus (10,000 x number of ramp shots made this ball)
- Lock bonus (10,000 x number of hits to either Krennic or the lock scoop this ball)
- U-Wing bonus (10,000 x number of hits to the varitarget this ball)
- Bumper bonus (10,000 x number of bumper hits this ball)
Tips[]
- Be familiar with how to bring the ball to each of the table's four flippers, especially when you need to use upper flipper shots to complete certain missions. The scoop that balls enter from the bumpers ejects balls towards the right flipper, which you can trap the ball with; if you want the ball on the other flipper, you can use a dead flipper pass. Getting balls to the upper flippers is more difficult - there are no direct ways to feed them besides making a strong shot to either orbit entrance and making a shot on the fly.
- Extra balls can be rather tough to come by unless you focus on going for side modes, which don't score much on their own compared to the main missions. AT-ACT Hurry-Up is the easiest of the side modes to start, but one of the toughest to beat; Dogfight can be difficult if you're not good at shooting the varitarget flap, but is fairly easy to complete once you start it.
- Spelling ROGUE on the rear target bank behaves the same as the "LOCK" targets did in Venom, and will require some trial-and-error, but becomes easier once you figure out how to shoot for them. Always be aware of the flashing target's current position, and remember that it will change once you use the flipper to shoot the ball towards the target bank.